asylumstatsFollow the money

How many

How many asylum seekers are waiting for a decision?

40,168waiting for a first decision, 30 June 2026

40,168 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum claim at 30 June 2026, 56% lower than a year earlier and well below the peak of 175,457 at 30 June 2023. In the latest quarter the Home Office made 22,176 initial decisions against 17,233 new claims.

Figures to 30 June 2026, published 27 August 2026. Home Office quarterly statistics, next edition due by 30 November 2026. Source: Home Office, immigration system statistics: claims awaiting a decision (Asy_D03).

People waiting for an initial asylum decision

Quarter end, 30 Jun 2010 to 30 Jun 2026. Main applicants and dependants.

40,168
175,457116,97158,486030 Jun 201030 Jun 2026Peak 30 Jun 2023
Exact values
PeriodValue
30 Jun 20109,441
30 Sep 20107,915
31 Dec 20107,240
31 Mar 20117,375
30 Jun 20117,527
30 Sep 20117,941
31 Dec 20118,857
31 Mar 20128,399
30 Jun 20129,188
30 Sep 201210,914
31 Dec 201212,816
31 Mar 201312,618
30 Jun 201313,124
30 Sep 201314,897
31 Dec 201318,172
31 Mar 201421,816
30 Jun 201423,725
30 Sep 201424,369
31 Dec 201422,898
31 Mar 201516,879
30 Jun 201516,163
30 Sep 201519,447
31 Dec 201522,147
31 Mar 201623,645
30 Jun 201625,736
30 Sep 201627,252
31 Dec 201627,857
31 Mar 201727,048
30 Jun 201727,709
30 Sep 201728,359
31 Dec 201729,522
31 Mar 201829,264
30 Jun 201829,984
30 Sep 201832,199
31 Dec 201835,855
31 Mar 201938,968
30 Jun 201940,960
30 Sep 201945,255
31 Dec 201951,228
31 Mar 202051,906
30 Jun 202054,073
30 Sep 202060,548
31 Dec 202064,895
31 Mar 202166,185
30 Jun 202170,905
30 Sep 202183,733
31 Dec 2021100,564
31 Mar 2022109,735
30 Jun 2022122,213
30 Sep 2022143,377
31 Dec 2022160,919
31 Mar 2023172,758
30 Jun 2023175,457
30 Sep 2023165,411
31 Dec 2023128,786
31 Mar 2024118,329
30 Jun 2024118,882
30 Sep 2024133,409
31 Dec 2024124,802
31 Mar 2025109,536
30 Jun 202590,812
30 Sep 202580,841
31 Dec 202564,426
31 Mar 202648,758
30 Jun 202640,168
Source: Home Office, Asy_D03

What the figure counts

The backlog here is people waiting for a first decision on their claim, counted at the end of each quarter, including dependants. The Home Office publishes the number of cases too, which is lower because one case can cover a family.

It does not include people whose claim was refused and who have appealed. Those cases sit with the tribunal, in a separate backlog measured by a different department on a different calendar.

Key figures

Waiting for an initial decision40,16830 June 2026
A year earlier90,81230 June 2025
Peak175,45730 June 2023
Initial decisions, 2026 Q222,176
New claims, 2026 Q217,233

Is the asylum backlog going down?

Yes. The Home Office decided 4,943 more claims than it received in 2026 Q2, so the queue shrank. The number waiting fell from 90,812 to 40,168 over the year.

Does the backlog include appeals?

No. Once a claim is refused, an appeal goes to the First-tier Tribunal, which the Ministry of Justice counts separately. Clearing the Home Office backlog pushes work into the tribunal: the Ministry of Justice attributes the steep rise in asylum appeals from late 2023 to exactly that.

Where do people wait for a decision?

Many are on asylum support, in dispersal housing or hotels, while others support themselves. 93,293 people were on support at 30 June 2026. That group overlaps with the people waiting but is not the same, so the two figures should not be added.

72 weeksHow long does an asylum appeal take?38%What is the UK asylum grant rate?40,16840,168 asylum seekers waiting for an initial decision39,000Britain returns 39,000 people a year. Every political manifesto promises more.

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